All about Smartphones and Tablets...

[DAE_JA_VOO]

Nokia has launched this new service called "Comes with music". Basically, buy a Nokia device and you'll have open access to download as much as you like from the Nokia Music Store for a year, for free, and you get to keep all of it after that year. Now I don't know about YOU guys, but that's almost enough to get me to buy a Nokia as my next device.

I really love music though, so it may not apply to everyone.

[naughty]

Nokia has launched this new service called "Comes with music". Basically, buy a Nokia device and you'll have open access to download as much as you like from the Nokia Music Store for a year, for free, and you get to keep all of it after that year. Now I don't know about YOU guys, but that's almost enough to get me to buy a Nokia as my next device.

I really love music though, so it may not apply to everyone.

the main reason why im after a N97 is because of the 32 gig of built in storage space - thats the decider for me - everything else is a bonus and i have never used a smartphone before - so whatever criticisms are applied to that handset dont affect me in the least cos its still way better than what ive used in the past

im still a nokia fan cos nokia phones do what i need them to do - which is make a phone call and receive phone calls - end of my story

only thing is that no-one has stock of those phones - i will probably have to wait an inordinate amount of time before i get one of those - or i may just decide to change my mind and settle for something else - my contract has expired and im now on a month to month - i need to renew cos the terms of the contract i had dont exist anymore - i wish MTN did the i-phone 3GS but they dont so i need to decide very soon which phone im gonna settle on

[Monty]

Nokia has launched this new service called "Comes with music". Basically, buy a Nokia device and you'll have open access to download as much as you like from the Nokia Music Store for a year, for free, and you get to keep all of it after that year. Now I don't know about YOU guys, but that's almost enough to get me to buy a Nokia as my next device.

I really love music though, so it may not apply to everyone.

the main reason why im after a N97 is because of the 32 gig of built in storage space - thats the decider for me - everything else is a bonus and i have never used a smartphone before - so whatever criticisms are applied to that handset dont affect me in the least cos its still way better than what ive used in the past

im still a nokia fan cos nokia phones do what i need them to do - which is make a phone call and receive phone calls - end of my story

only thing is that no-one has stock of those phones - i will probably have to wait an inordinate amount of time before i get one of those - or i may just decide to change my mind and settle for something else - my contract has expired and im now on a month to month - i need to renew cos the terms of the contract i had dont exist anymore - i wish MTN did the i-phone 3GS but they dont so i need to decide very soon which phone im gonna settle on

Do not get the N97i/mini/what ever it is called. They botched up with it and its no where near as nice as its big brother, The N97

[Monty]

And android can run java apps so that includes Mxit.

There is a specific android version of mxit now

[Prime]

I refuse to touch Android. Its linux and I have better things to do than sukkle when there are problems, (been there, done that and won't where the Tshirt again) and there will be problems. Windows is familiar.

KillerByte, And did you patch/update the Diamond?

And as I said, I need functionality like office.

A friend has a touch Viva and its fantastic. and Win-Mo gives him no grief.

I will be taking a trip out to MTN this weekend or next to try out various phones.

Anakha56, My contract expires in october, then there will be at least a month wait till the phone has dropped in price, and the delay in releasing. How soon, realistically till the snapdragon platform goes on sale?

Edit: If you really think I should be going for an Android Phone, then I want a clear motivation as to why I should take it over win Mo 6.1 or 6.5 Professional?

I do not want any and will ignore all arguments about speed and sluggishness. I will also ignore any post I deem to smell of Fanboism.

[Prime]

Well the Touch Pro is awesome and its 299 PM including R200 of airtime whcih I can cap. I tried one this morning. I prefer the full keyboard to the stylus for typing I also tried a touch diamond two but it was not as nice as the touch pro. Only thing I don't like on the touch pro is is the menu behaviour when you open the keyboard. I could not figure out how to access the home screen.

Afaik, all the available android phones are > 339 PM

The Blackberry Bold 9000 is awesome, unfortunately its way out of my price range I love the scroll ball, its so fluid

The buttons are a little small on the curve 8900

[shiv]

I have the Samsung i8510 - a brilliant phone, one of Samsung's finest.
It runs Symbian S60 3rd Edition.
It is not a touch screen.

It is older than 6 months, but the specs speak for themselves:
- 8 MP camera, great quality for a phone
- DVD like quality video recording
- DivX support
- 16 GB memory

And yes it runs Java well, so MXit runs great.

If you read the reviews from GSMArena and MobileReview (English), this phone was praised.

I have no issues with Symbian OS - in fact I have like over a dozen useful apps which make the mobile experience so much better.

And unlike Nokia's crap these days, this phone has 3D hardware acceleration.

I can't wait for the successor to this phone - the Samsung i8910!!

[Prime]

quick update:

OK, So I wanted to get the touch pro but apparently they are no longer selling them

So then I took a trip to vodaworld because they have a better selection of live phones to try, in an effort to find an alternative.

I tried the HTC magic and I hated it. I tried the touch diamond 2 and found it retarded- the rotation only works for sms and email? *facepalm*

Then I tried the HTC Hero, OMG! Its fricking awesome! its comfortable, its really fast, its fricking responsiveits an absolute pleasure to use

tomorrow I am phoning MTN and checking if they have stock, failing which I am phoning altech and checking if i can port/renew my contract to them. I think I'll sell my soul for a hero right now

otherwise I will get a blackberry bold 9000 (R329PM) or 8900 (279PM) without the blackberry internet subscription as I think its a bit of a rip off. a data bundle is more flexible than a BIS subscription and although it says R60 per month, its actually R70PM when you do the calculations. A 100MB data bundle is R80.

You cannot download more than 3MB files within the BIS package - you get charged standard data rates for anything above 3 MB; you cannot use your phone as a modem or you incur additional costs. BIS pretty much limits you to browsing the web and recieving emails < 3MB or you start paying additional charges

Thanks!

[Sojourn]

Are you considering the iPhone?

[naughty]

tomorrow I am phoning MTN and checking if they have stock

they have no clue as to when they will be getting those as far as i know - i asked before i took the N97

[KALSTER]

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

[shiv]

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

Symbian FTW!!

[ADT]

i worked on a i-phone already- and in my opinion its overrated, when u compare for what u pay and the quality of the camera etc..


I worked on the N97 last week and i love that fone, would really recommend it as a smartphone thats priced right...

[SykomantiS]

Sony Ericsson Satio The moment I can my hands on one (read: afford it) I'm taking this.

[DAE_JA_VOO]

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

1) Yeah, bad flash is a bummer
2) I wouldn't care about divx. It's a phone.
3) Nobody cares about phone cameras.

Prime, the Hero is an amazing device. You can't go wrong there.

You MIGHT want to hang around a LITTLE for Motorola's new Droid. This has been dubbed by many as the iPhone killer. I just listened to a podcast about it and apparently it's absolutely amazing. I HATE Motorola, so I'm very skeptical, but it was Leo Laporte on the podcast, and since he's the captain of the internet, I take what he says relatively seriously

[naughty]

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

1) Yeah, bad flash is a bummer
2) I wouldn't care about divx. It's a phone.
3) Nobody cares about phone cameras.

Prime, the Hero is an amazing device. You can't go wrong there.

You MIGHT want to hang around a LITTLE for Motorola's new Droid. This has been dubbed by many as the iPhone killer. I just listened to a podcast about it and apparently it's absolutely amazing. I HATE Motorola, so I'm very skeptical, but it was Leo Laporte on the podcast, and since he's the captain of the internet, I take what he says relatively seriously

is the droid even going to come to south africa ? - i dont know when i've last seen a motorola phone here

as for the hero

read this review :

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/23/htc-hero-review/

note the conclusion quoted here

The Hero represents a valiant effort from HTC -- though unfortunately, the company appears to have bitten off more than its last-generation hardware can chew. If this build of Android were to be loaded atop the guts of a 3GS or Pre, the performance would likely be astounding, but fused with the two-year old architecture of previous devices, it's mostly disappointing. We're not saying this isn't the best build of Android on the market -- we think it is. What we are saying is that this build is a bit too much for a device like the Hero to handle, and that makes for an uneven, sometimes frustrating experience. Going into the review, we desperately wanted to love this phone, but given the combination of a few poor hardware choices and an OS which outclasses the device it runs on, we can only recommend that you enter at your own risk. HTC has an explosive entry in the smartphone category with what its done on the software side... now it just needs the hardware to match.

another review

http://gizmodo.com/5318860/htc-hero-rev ... lly-flawed

so gizmodo hated the N97 but it doesnt love the hero much either .... and apparently th ebest phone on the market doesnt exist right now - so every phone you buy has some sort of compromise cos even the iphone has things to moan about - i reckon just get what you prefer for now and look for the best phones in the next generation cos nothings perfect as of right now

[Prime]

Anyone heard of divx mobile? its how i watch house on my n73...

[Prime]

Are you considering the iPhone?

No! The 3GS has design problems and I am not porting to Vodacom.

tomorrow I am phoning MTN and checking if they have stock

they have no clue as to when they will be getting those as far as i know - i asked before i took the N97

They need a over their stock.

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

Divx will come, even if its an app, Flash is irrelevant as I will never watch flash videos on my cell - it's way to expensive, and opera is working on a version of flash for opera mini anyway and the camera is reasonable from what i have seen, besides its a cellphone camera.

Main disadvantages

• No video-call camera Over rated
• No FM radio I hate the radio
• No camera flash, dedicated shutter key or lens cover Experience teaches me that these cause more grief than they ever solve
• Camera features are a bit outdated such as? Its a friggin phone camera
• CIF@15fps video recording (352 x 288 pixels) is below par Pity
• No TV-out port Never going to use this
• No voice dialing Never use this. Its doesn't work (well) for local accents and non enlgish surnames
• Flash video playback is laggy I am not going to watch youtube on my phone unless I am at home on the wifi, and even then I have access to a PC
• Somewhat limited 3rd party software availability ???
• No DivX or XviD video support or a third-party application to play that It will come, for now its too bad
• Poor MP4 playback performance - barely watchable in video resolution above QVGA Its a phone. do you really want to watch HD or SD on a display that small?
• No Bluetooth file transfers (not without rooting) Hardly ever use bluetooth for anything, besides, it comes with a USB cable
• No proper file manager (not without rooting) Er, ok?

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php %^&$ NO! never again

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

Symbian FTW!!

%^&$ NO! never again! Did you even read the thread?

i worked on a I-phone already- and in my opinion its overrated, when u compare for what u pay and the quality of the camera etc..
I worked on the N97 last week and i love that fone, would really recommend it as a smartphone thats priced right...

Nokia are best operated with a large hammer

Sony Ericsson Satio The moment I can my hands on one (read: afford it) I'm taking this.

Trying to stay away from Sony Ericsson

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

1) Yeah, bad flash is a bummer
2) I wouldn't care about divx. It's a phone.
3) Nobody cares about phone cameras.

Prime, the Hero is an amazing device. You can't go wrong there.

You MIGHT want to hang around a LITTLE for Motorola's new Droid. This has been dubbed by many as the iPhone killer. I just listened to a podcast about it and apparently it's absolutely amazing. I HATE Motorola, so I'm very skeptical, but it was Leo Laporte on the podcast, and since he's the captain of the internet, I take what he says relatively seriously

I am very sceptical about Motorola products. It could end up like the pre and never reach SA. I am not going to take a chance on that.

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

1) Yeah, bad flash is a bummer
2) I wouldn't care about divx. It's a phone.
3) Nobody cares about phone cameras.

Prime, the Hero is an amazing device. You can't go wrong there.

You MIGHT want to hang around a LITTLE for Motorola's new Droid. This has been dubbed by many as the iPhone killer. I just listened to a podcast about it and apparently it's absolutely amazing. I HATE Motorola, so I'm very skeptical, but it was Leo Laporte on the podcast, and since he's the captain of the internet, I take what he says relatively seriously

is the droid even going to come to south africa ? - i dont know when i've last seen a motorola phone here

as for the hero

read this review :

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/23/htc-hero-review/

note the conclusion quoted here

The Hero represents a valiant effort from HTC -- though unfortunately, the company appears to have bitten off more than its last-generation hardware can chew. If this build of Android were to be loaded atop the guts of a 3GS or Pre, the performance would likely be astounding, but fused with the two-year old architecture of previous devices, it's mostly disappointing. We're not saying this isn't the best build of Android on the market -- we think it is. What we are saying is that this build is a bit too much for a device like the Hero to handle, and that makes for an uneven, sometimes frustrating experience. Going into the review, we desperately wanted to love this phone, but given the combination of a few poor hardware choices and an OS which outclasses the device it runs on, we can only recommend that you enter at your own risk. HTC has an explosive entry in the smartphone category with what its done on the software side... now it just needs the hardware to match.

another review

http://gizmodo.com/5318860/htc-hero-rev ... lly-flawed

so gizmodo hated the N97 but it doesnt love the hero much either .... and apparently th ebest phone on the market doesnt exist right now - so every phone you buy has some sort of compromise cos even the iphone has things to moan about - i reckon just get what you prefer for now and look for the best phones in the next generation cos nothings perfect as of right now

reading the reviews. thanks

[ADT]

gsmarena is such an awesum site

[SykomantiS]

Wait... lemme see if I can wrap my head around this. You hate symbian, there goes half the market, you operate nokia's with a hammer (I would too if I had a nokia ) You try to stay away from SE, you don't like motorola, and I'm still trying to figure out what your take on the htc (hero, i think?) is... so that leaves you with... Nothing? (since I'm willing to bet that samsung an lg smartphones use symbian, which you hate- i'm guessing though, for all i know they actually run winmo, so that's a shot in the dark)

good luck with your dilema

[ADT]

FTL??

[Monty]

The hero has a few shortfalls IMO. http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-review-382.php %^&$ NO! never again

Poor flash playback, no divx playback, poor camera, etc.

Symbian FTW!!

%^&$ NO! never again! Did you even read the thread?

i worked on a I-phone already- and in my opinion its overrated, when u compare for what u pay and the quality of the camera etc..
I worked on the N97 last week and i love that fone, would really recommend it as a smartphone thats priced right...

Nokia are best operated with a large hammer

Stop slamming Symbian as your problem was with the physical Nokia Phones, Not the OS.

[Monty]

Wait... lemme see if I can wrap my head around this. You hate symbian, there goes half the market, you operate nokia's with a hammer (I would too if I had a nokia ) You try to stay away from SE, you don't like motorola, and I'm still trying to figure out what your take on the htc (hero, i think?) is... so that leaves you with... Nothing? (since I'm willing to bet that samsung an lg smartphones use symbian, which you hate- i'm guessing though, for all i know they actually run winmo, so that's a shot in the dark)

good luck with your dilema

He only hates Symbian because it is related to Nokia.

Prime: I've never heard you complain about an OS feature, only ever the physical handsets.

[Prime]

Symbian FTW!!

%^&$ NO! never again! Did you even read the thread?

i worked on a I-phone already- and in my opinion its overrated, when u compare for what u pay and the quality of the camera etc..
I worked on the N97 last week and i love that fone, would really recommend it as a smartphone thats priced right...

Nokia are best operated with a large hammer

Stop slamming Symbian as your problem was with the physical Nokia Phones, Not the OS.

The last 2 phones I have operated with symbian (N70 and N73) were both awful. THe N70 had software issues and the N73 also had hardware issues, on top of that. Whether those are as a result of Nokia's implementation of symbian or simply symbian, I don't know but i was not impressed.

I am trying to get a winmo or (now) an android phone. I'll settle for blackberry or or a palm pre ( unfortunately not available here ) though I honestly don't know what RIM use on their phones. I had a samsung, years back, it was ok, but I won't go that route again. My dislike of SE stems from my experience with Sony's customer service. Its a pity because on the whole their products are usually decent.

Wait... lemme see if I can wrap my head around this. You hate symbian, there goes half the market, you operate nokia's with a hammer (I would too if I had a nokia ) You try to stay away from SE, you don't like motorola, and I'm still trying to figure out what your take on the htc (hero, i think?) is... so that leaves you with... Nothing? (since I'm willing to bet that samsung an lg smartphones use symbian, which you hate- i'm guessing though, for all i know they actually run winmo, so that's a shot in the dark)

good luck with your dilema

He only hates Symbian because it is related to Nokia.

Prime: I've never heard you complain about an OS feature, only ever the physical handsets.

I have always been under the impression that symbian was restricted to nokia? is it? S60(?) was slow and sluggish and seriously buggy

[Prime]

SykomantiS, I was being sarcastic about the hammer. though some days I feel like taking a hammer to this nokia